Robert Palmer, the soulful, suavely dressed British rock singer whose “Addicted to Love” and “Simply Irresistible” videos were ’80s MTV staples, died early Friday morning at 54.
Palmer, who lived in Switzerland, died of a heart attack in a Paris hotel, where he was staying after being interviewed in London for a TV documentary. He had spent a quiet Wednesday night with his girlfriend of 20 years, his manager said.
The dapper singer was best known for wearing a suit in front of a faux band of long-legged, guitar-wielding models in the videos for “Addicted,” his 1987 Grammy-winning hit, and “Irresistible,” which received a Grammy in 1989. But Robert Alan Palmer had a long and varied career that included 1970s collaborations with Little Feat and the Meters, membership in the 1980s British supergroup Power Station and an excellent album of blues and R&B classics, “Drive,” released this year.

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